Waking Nightmare
by Strawwolf
Summary: What exactly happened to Lucy after the Rittenhouse reveal with her mom last season? How did they convince her to help them? Why does she dodge Wyatt's questions when he asks about it?


When Lucy woke she found herself back in that bright room with the white walls. Empty but for the buzzing lights, a familiar foe.. The cold clamp of fear spread out over her brain and down her spine. She shuddered in hollow horror as the memories rippled across her gut.

With practice she scrambled to the corner, hunched over, face pressed to the wall, eyes closed. There was no point facing the door.

Soon enough her head began to hurt; all that bright light pierced her lids, the shade of her elbow, the back of her brain. And that damned humming! She grit her teeth, forced herself to breathe through her nose, heart beating in her ears. Permanently exhaustion was only a threat away and her odds were worse this time. Betrayal didn't tend to wear well on trust.

As she kept to her corner, stance carefully cultivated, days, weeks or hours passed. Time coagulated into one contiguous line of white that threatened to clot her mind with inactivity. Worlds could end, suns could die and she wouldn't know. Everything and anything happened outside that room while she waited. Because that's what it was for. Because that's how it happened.

At some point the door swung open. Lucy gave no reaction, registering the sound somewhere in the distance as if she were underwater. After a moment she swung around, head lolling to the side as she squinted at what appeared to be Emma.

The woman sighed and crossed her arms. "I don't know why we bother but Nicolas insisted we keep you alive. You're far too 'important' to kill. But you need to be…cultivated was the term he used. You're a little too precocious for his tastes. But that won't matter soon because you'll be one of us." Her green eyes sparked with amusement.

Lucy shook her head and croaked. "No I won't. And you know that."

Emma shrugged. "It doesn't matter what I know. And soon it won't matter what you think either."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well we're going to dismantle your little team. They're a thorn in our side and must be removed. So we're going to erase your friends from existence."

That last word settled over her like a heavy weight. But Emma never rewarded weakness. And showing it now would be dangerous. "Why are you telling me this? We'll just find a way to stop you."

"Because in a few hours you won't remember this conversation. This time we're going to make sure you're indoctrinated early. And you'll be docile and eager to serve because your pilot and Soldier Boy will have never been born."

"You can't!"

Emma grinned, teeth dull against the walls of the room. "Oh but we will."

"Please! I'll do anything." She braced herself against the wall and pushed, staggering to stand, vision swimming.

"You made promises last time when you pretended to come to our side. Why should I believe you?"

"Because you know I'd do anything to keep them safe."

"So all we have to do is spare them and in exchange for their lives you'd be a dutiful daughter? At least pretend to agree with our ideals? Go along with our plans?"

Lucy gulped back tears and nodded.

"And what about our plans for you?"

Blinking in confusion she stuttered out. "Plans?"

"Well the family line must continue. With dear Amy gone you're the only one left. And I know your mother planned on purebred grandchildren."

Lucy remained silent, trying to contemplate how much of her life she was going to have to give up. Noah had been a circumstance of time and was more than likely a match arranged by Rittenhouse. All she could do was glare.

"It's rather tragic isn't it?" In order to save the man you love you're going to have to be with a man you hate." She laughed.

Lucy jerked at the accusation. _How could she-_

"On second thought though, we shouldn't take any risks. I think we'll just erase your friends after all and you won't care because when we change your past you won't remember them."

"No!" Lucy lunged forward and tried to push past Emma but the woman was too strong for her. She was grabbed round the shoulders and shaken, tears streaming down her face as she thought of her friends, of Wyatt just vanishing from the Earth and no one would know, not even her.

"Lucy!"

Before her Emma melted into powder. The room faded and with a jerk she was pulled sideways until Wyatt's face appeared in front of hers. He was holding her still, concerned look on his face.

"You were yelling in your sleep. You okay?"

Unwilling to share she simply wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, head tucked into his neck.

"I am now."


End file.
